Day Trip From Boston Trip Report

Hello Salem! Last year my husband and I enjoyed an awesome day in Salem. We traveled via ferry from Boston (where we were staying.) Since it%26#39;s trip planning time, I thought I%26#39;d share my trip report from last summer%26#39;s June visit. Maybe someone will find it helpful or interesting even if it%26#39;s a year late!

FYI The ferry from Boston to Salem cost $22.00 roundtrip each and it was a 45 minute ride.

Riding the ferry to Salem was in itself an adventure. I took a ton of pictures of all kinds of things. Planes coming in for a landing @ Logan seemed to literally be dropping into the ocean. There was an island with cannons on it that my husband was sorry we couldn’t explore further. Somewhere along the way I had learned that lobster fisherman mark their traps with bobbing buoys. We saw many of those along the way as well as a lobster boat bringing in its catch; all very fascinating. The Mr. loves the water. He reminded me of a dog riding in his master’s car with his head flung out the window catching the breeze. He never sat down the whole time we were riding the ferry. His favorite place was to be perched at the front of the boat in the little nitch like Leonardo DeCaprio and Kate Winslet did on the movie The Titanic. I’m not that adventuresome. I thought I was being a good sport to sit on the bench and watch him! As we got closer to Salem the scenery changed. I loved all the houses along the shoreline and I took tons of pictures thinking each house was more interesting or more beautiful or in a more picturesque spot then the last. At any rate we finally arrived in Salem and were thrilled that a couple of trolleys had arrived to pick us up.

We had already decided since the last ferry to Boston left at six we were going to have to rely on a trolley to take us to the points of interest we were interested in seeing.

Our old “friends” from City View also had a trolley in Salem. They offered a heck of a deal; $5.00 a person and we happily boarded their trolley. I’m not sure what their competitor charged but they were also available for pickup. Unfortunately,

we simply did not have enough time in Salem to fully explore all the interesting possibilities. The trolley only looped every hour. That meant you had an hour in each location, which is probably enough time to see the attraction if you rushed, but the timing had to be perfect. For that reason if you are planning a trip to Salem I suggest you either depart Boston on the 9:00 ferry or you plan to spend a night in Salem. Anyway, back to the trolley ride. It was very relaxed. The two drivers we had were funny and informative. Our first stop was Pickering Wharf. We were starving and chose an earlier pick of mine for lunch, Victoria’s Station. We both started with a cup of clam chowder (very good chowder) and for an entrée I had Cajun seasoned salmon served in a casserole dish. It was okay, but in all fairness it probably doesn’t get higher marks from me because I totally misunderstood what I was ordering. I thought I was getting some kind of Cajun seasoned salmon casserole! The Mr. got lobster puffs. The meal was served with some very good bread and butter. After dinner I wanted to do the Ranger tour of The Friendship and Custom House, but because the last tour had just started and the trolley was coming and time was running short I had to settle for just reading the information kiosk. From there we rode the trolley to The House of Seven Gables. Well, I majored in English in college and love to read so this was a “must do” for me. The House of Seven Gables in set in a very picturesque spot over looking the water. It has beautiful gardens and a great gift shop that we enjoyed (I say we, I’m not sure the Mr. got as much out of this tour as I did. Poor guy only had a vague recollection of who Nathaniel Hawthorne was!) I bought the cutest t-shirt for myself that said “Salem Teaching Fine Witches Since 1692”. I hope neither my principal nor my student’s parents take offense when I wear it on causal Fridays! :D Anyway, I thought the tour was fascinating. The tour guide did a great job relaying the story of the builder of the house; Captain Turner, his travels, the rise and fall of the fortunes of the Turner family and the history of how it became known to Nathaniel Hawthorne and thus the setting for The House of Seven Gables. After the tour I took a very rushed look at the house Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in. There were all kinds of interesting things to read about his childhood and adulthood, but I had to basically skim it quickly because the hour was running out and the trolley was coming. From there we decided to just ride the loop so we could see Salem. Sadly I wasn’t able to get off at Witch House where the Salem Witch trials took place. I understand that this would have been a combination education on the witch hysteria as well as period architecture. Pooh! We departed at the Salem Visitor’s Center. I failed to mention after we boarded the trolley at the ferry landing we were briefly taken to the visitor’s center where we were able to confer with Park Rangers, pick up literature, and use the nice restroom facilities. After we left on the trolley from that stop we were treated to a scrumptious cookie provided by the owner of the Rose Medallion. Bless her. She actually boarded the trolley and allowed every rider to have their pick from her big cookie tray. She had offered a 10% discount to all trolley riders and neither one of us had been able to get that chocolate mint cookie off our minds. We purchased lemonade from a cart and I headed to The Rose Medallion to buy some of those cookies. Alas, she only had seven left so I purchased every one of them. While I was gone the Mr. purchased a big hot dog from a vendor near the bench I left him on.

Lucky for him he saved me a bite or two! We had about an hour prior to the trolley’s departure for the ferry landing. We decided to use the hour in the Peabody Essex’s Museum. Tickets were $15.00 each and I could tell the ticket lady felt bad because the museum was closing in about 45 minutes. We assured her it was okay. Initially, we decided not to spend the extra $8.00 to view the Yin Yu Tang House, but once I saw the outside of it, I knew I had to see it. We scurried back to the ticket counter and purchased the right to go inside and then waited impatiently for the guy to let us in. It’s an audio tour and is self paced. Wow! It was certainly worth the effort and extra money it took to get in. The audio tour explained all the important aspects of the house (just fascinating) as well as some Chinese history that related to the workings of the house and the comings and goings of its occupants. After exiting the Yin Yu Tang House tour we did a quick run through of the ivory and silver exhibit and then had to give up the opportunity to see anything else because of the closing of the PEM. We waited the arrival of the trolley to take us back to the ferry landing on the outside of the visitor’s center and enjoyed the antics of a squirrel. He was a cute little guy and kept more than the Mr. and I entertained. The whole group gave an audible gasp when the squirrel dashed into the street in front of an oncoming car and then in unison we all sighed with relief when he made it safely across. The trolley arrived and we headed back to the ferry. The return to Boston was definitely on the cool so I sat inside and even the Mr. joined me after just a few minutes in “his nitch”. He claimed it was solely to keep me company, but I think he was cold too! LOL!

Day Trip From Boston Trip Report

Hey Texas Teacher. Thanks for the very thorough trip report. I just wanted to warn people that if you sit outside on the Salem Ferry the wind is strong enough to blow the contacts lens right out of your eyes. That thing really honks when it clears the harbors and gets out to sea. So wear a hood and keep your kids in hand. Enjoy!